# Identify Cigar Band from TV Show



## Scotophor (Jun 4, 2016)

Hi,

Can anyone identify the cigar band in the attached images? These are cropped screencaps from a TV show circa 1992, and the best (only) available shots of the band. Out of the entire run of the series, these two closeups seem to be the only times the character's cigar ever even _has_ a band.

In the first shot, the word "MADE" is legible on the narrow part of the band, probably starting the phrase, "MADE BY HAND". Another possibility is the two words "HAND" and "MADE" flanking the circular logo. There also appears to be some script-style writing in the white ring but I can't make any sense of it. In the second shot, the color of the center of the logo might be overly-saturated, so expect a darker red or brown color there.

I did a Google image search and the best I can come up with is that it resembles some Ashton bands, but I couldn't find an exact match.

Does anyone have a band or clear photo of one matching these images? I'd like to replicate the band (or possibly even use an original) as part of a full costume of the character.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.


----------



## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

I'm more interested in why he has bacon wrapped around his thumb.
I love bacon almost as much as I love cigars.


----------



## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Who is it? Costume? Do you smoke cigars or are you just looking for answers? Either way is fine. If you are a cigar smoker, how about an intro


----------



## Oldmso54 (Jul 31, 2010)

The brown band looks like it might be a Montecristo but the pic is a little fuzzy?


----------



## eliot (Apr 30, 2016)

The cigars in the first picture looks like a Montecriso knockoff.










Also, I'd like to guess your costume. Is it Al from Quantum Leap?


----------



## ForceofWill (Sep 6, 2008)

I was thinking poor quality fake Monte as well, since it's a TV show.


----------



## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

I thought it might be a Maria Mancini at first, but it's not quite a match. There were so many brands out in the 1990's that are now defunct that even if you can identify it the chances of finding one now may be pretty remote.

I'm guessing the character is a cardinal considering the look of the sleeve. But that doesn't seem like something that would attract a prop builder, so I could be wrong.


----------



## eliot (Apr 30, 2016)

curmudgeonista said:


> But that doesn't seem like something that would attract a prop builder, so I could be wrong.


I'm like 99.99% sure I'm correct about this costume being Al. The prop? His Handlink communicator.

Just did a Google image search for "Quantum Leap Handlink" and found this picture, with another view of the cigar band.


----------



## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

The first looks like am asylum to me and the second a Monte red

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


----------



## Scotophor (Jun 4, 2016)

eliot said:


> ...I'd like to guess your costume. Is it Al from Quantum Leap?


Give that man a cigar! Yes, it's Al from Quantum Leap.



eliot said:


> I'm like 99.99% sure I'm correct about this costume being Al. The prop? His Handlink communicator.
> 
> Just did a Google image search for "Quantum Leap Handlink" and found this picture, with another view of the cigar band.


You found the same screencap I used for the second photo too - I 'shopped out the handlink because I thought it would be distracting.

Both images in my first post are from fifth-season (final season) episodes and I believe they show the same band style.

@UBC03: I must admit I'm a non-smoker and only came here to get this one answer if possible.

@Rondo: It's not bacon. I assume you're referring to the first photo. I believe that's just an inadvertent artifact accidentally created by a weird "hot spot" in the studio lighting.

Dean Stockwell is a real cigar aficionado and has even confessed that he suggested the idea that Al should smoke cigars so that he (Dean) could get free smokes for as long as the show lasted! So I believe the cigar is genuine and not what you call a "dogrocket". I don't believe the band is fake either, though that is a possibility.

There is a report at TV Acres that Dean smoked Zino brand cigars on QL, but since I can't find any images of a Zino band that looks anything like this, I am discounting that info as either erroneous or outdated. Even if he did originally smoke Zinos, there's still a strong possibility that budget cuts in later seasons forced him to switch brands to economize.

Also, I don't know what that mention of Dean is doing in the Death section of TV Acres. AFAIK he's still alive.


----------



## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

The Zino bands were either all red or all platinum.
Could have been an advertising rule. TV always wanted you to think characters were drinking Heineken or cans of Bud, but the labels were slightly changed.


----------



## Scotophor (Jun 4, 2016)

curmudgeonista said:


> I'm guessing the character is a cardinal considering the look of the sleeve. But that doesn't seem like something that would attract a prop builder, so I could be wrong.


Someone's been checking up on me... :wink2:


----------



## RocknRoll (Jul 22, 2013)

Scotophor said:


> There is a report at TV Acres that Dean smoked Zino brand cigars on QL, but since I can't find any images of a Zino band that looks anything like this, I am discounting that info as either erroneous or outdated. Even if he did originally smoke Zinos, there's still a strong possibility that budget cuts in later seasons forced him to switch brands to economize.


I found the same info. I don't necessarily discount the info as they very well may have had to change the band for advertising legalities.


----------



## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

Scotophor said:


> There is a report at TV Acres that Dean smoked Zino brand cigars on QL, but since I can't find any images of a Zino band that looks anything like this, I am discounting that info as either erroneous or outdated. Even if he did originally smoke Zinos, there's still a strong possibility that budget cuts in later seasons forced him to switch brands to economize.


Part of the problem is, you have to understand cigars or cigar smokers. For the most part, it's not the same as cigarette smokers who have "their brand" and stick to it religiously. Enthusiasts of fine cigars tend to explore the many offerings available, or at least have several favorites in their rotation. So, trying to discern what Stockwell might choose to smoke personally is a exercise of futility.

That said, I agree with @*Rondo* that the band may very well have been mocked up by the props dept to avoid any issues that might arise form showing a market item without a contractual agreement.

Oh, and it's best not to say _"give that man a cigar'_ around here unless you fully intend to follow through and actually give him a cigar. We take free cigar offers very seriously. (j/k)


----------



## eliot (Apr 30, 2016)

curmudgeonista said:


> Oh, and it's best not to say _"give that man a cigar'_ around here unless you fully intend to follow through and actually give him a cigar. We take free cigar offers very seriously. (j/k)


Did someone say free cigars?!


----------



## Scotophor (Jun 4, 2016)

curmudgeonista said:


> Part of the problem is, you have to understand cigars or cigar smokers. For the most part, it's not the same as cigarette smokers who have "their brand" and stick to it religiously. Enthusiasts of fine cigars tend to explore the many offerings available, or at least have several favorites in their rotation. So, trying to discern what Stockwell might choose to smoke personally is a exercise of futility.
> 
> That said, I agree with @*Rondo* that the band may very well have been mocked up by the props dept to avoid any issues that might arise form showing a market item without a contractual agreement.
> 
> Oh, and it's best not to say _"give that man a cigar'_ around here unless you fully intend to follow through and actually give him a cigar. We take free cigar offers very seriously. (j/k)


Oh, I read several topics on this site before posting, so I do understand that you are more like wine connoisseurs than cigarette smokers with respect to sampling different brands and product lines. However, since the cigars smoked before the cameras in Quantum Leap would have been provided by the production as "props", and for continuity reasons HAD to be the same for each week's entire filming schedule, I doubt that they would have been changed very often during the run of the show. Sure, Dean could smoke whatever he wanted when not on camera, and may have gotten weary of his original choice after being "forced" to smoke them day in and day out for several months while on set, but the constraints of the production would probably only allow him to request a switch between seasons.

Regarding the "product placement" and fake or "mock-up" band angle, the fact is that a cigar band would never be clearly legible or identifiable on television unless extra effort was made specifically to show it. Even in these closeups where the band just happens to be in frame, since the cigar was not the primary focus of the shots, the band is (so far) not identifiable. I doubt that the show's creators would have seen a need to fake up a band unless they knew or could reasonably expect that it would be easily recognizable onscreen. Remember that this show was made in the VCR era, so pausing and frame-stepping to catch details like this wasn't very common then.

Regarding _"give that man a cigar"_, I never said that _*I*_ would be giving anyone a cigar... since I don't have any cigars to give, it was more of a general request to the population at large that _*someone*_ should give him a cigar.


----------



## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

Scotophor said:


> Oh, I read several topics on this site before posting, so I do understand that you are more like wine connoisseurs than cigarette smokers with respect to sampling different brands and product lines. However, since the cigars smoked before the cameras in Quantum Leap would have been provided by the production as "props", and for continuity reasons HAD to be the same for each week's entire filming schedule, I doubt that they would have been changed very often during the run of the show. Sure, Dean could smoke whatever he wanted when not on camera, and may have gotten weary of his original choice after being "forced" to smoke them day in and day out for several months while on set, but the constraints of the production would probably only allow him to request a switch between seasons.
> 
> Regarding the "product placement" and fake or "mock-up" band angle, the fact is that a cigar band would never be clearly legible or identifiable on television unless extra effort was made specifically to show it. Even in these closeups where the band just happens to be in frame, since the cigar was not the primary focus of the shots, the band is (so far) not identifiable. I doubt that the show's creators would have seen a need to fake up a band unless they knew or could reasonably expect that it would be easily recognizable onscreen. Remember that this show was made in the VCR era, so pausing and frame-stepping to catch details like this wasn't very common then.
> 
> Regarding _"give that man a cigar"_, I never said that _*I*_ would be giving anyone a cigar... since I don't have any cigars to give, it was more of a general request to the population at large that _*someone*_ should give him a cigar.


Lot's of folks around here have been cigar enthusiasts since well before 1992, and that band, if a commercial brand, is not remembered as a popular or well known one. Else, I'm sure you would have had your answer already. And even if it could be identified, the chance would be very high that they are long since out of production.

OTOH, considering the degree of detail you're now trying to achieve recreating this character, do you imagine the props people for the show were any less detail oriented? I wouldn't think it would matter to a props designer that the band is small and perhaps of little risk with copyright issues. Nor would they necessarily know in advance what shots the director might call for. I'm guessing as a matter of habit they simply wouldn't choose to use a commercial brand. They might very well design their own on principle and SOP alone.

I think you're best bet is to choose a cigar from current offerings that is relatively similar (I suggested the Maria Mancini already), or plan to make your own band the best you can from the grainy blow-ups.

As for having a cigar to give, you may not have any now, but if you intend to complete this project you soon will. :smile2:


----------



## MikeFox87 (May 5, 2016)

Scotophor said:


> Oh, I read several topics on this site before posting, so I do understand that you are more like wine connoisseurs than cigarette smokers with respect to sampling different brands and product lines. However, since the cigars smoked before the cameras in Quantum Leap would have been provided by the production as "props", and for continuity reasons HAD to be the same for each week's entire filming schedule, I doubt that they would have been changed very often during the run of the show. Sure, Dean could smoke whatever he wanted when not on camera, and may have gotten weary of his original choice after being "forced" to smoke them day in and day out for several months while on set, but the constraints of the production would probably only allow him to request a switch between seasons.
> 
> Regarding the "product placement" and fake or "mock-up" band angle, the fact is that a cigar band would never be clearly legible or identifiable on television unless extra effort was made specifically to show it. Even in these closeups where the band just happens to be in frame, since the cigar was not the primary focus of the shots, the band is (so far) not identifiable. I doubt that the show's creators would have seen a need to fake up a band unless they knew or could reasonably expect that it would be easily recognizable onscreen. Remember that this show was made in the VCR era, so pausing and frame-stepping to catch details like this wasn't very common then.
> 
> Regarding _"give that man a cigar"_, I never said that _*I*_ would be giving anyone a cigar... since I don't have any cigars to give, it was more of a general request to the population at large that _*someone*_ should give him a cigar.


Just my 2: I'm about 95% sure that it's a mock label. Whether the set prop is big or small, I can't imagine a production crew would take a chance with that sort of thing. Fixing something in post production that can be easily avoided on set is a not a mistake that a good crew would make. And since we're talking about a character that constantly has this prop in his hand, it doesn't seem feasible to me that they'd overlook it. Heck, it could be the same physical band every time just on a different stick.

BTW, Stockwell is definitely alive. You could always try to reach out and ask him. If you can't find publicist/manager info, he has a Facebook page...


----------



## Cigar Sleuth (Jul 9, 2021)

Scotophor said:


> Hi,
> 
> Can anyone identify the cigar band in the attached images? These are cropped screencaps from a TV show circa 1992, and the best (only) available shots of the band. Out of the entire run of the series, these two closeups seem to be the only times the character's cigar ever even _has_ a band.
> 
> ...


Do a bit ofband collecting. I’ve been smoking a long time. I’m a fan of the Quantun Leap Series. Believe the cigar is a Red Dot Cigar.







Cigar Sleuth


----------

